Often, I use the Toyota Camry as a baseline for my examples of a “normal” car, because it is a great all-around vehicle. Family sedans are on the decline in terms of sales figures, but the Camry still remains as the best-selling one for a good reason. It does so many things very well.
According to many objective standards, the Camry would be considered the best family sedan, and for many more, the best car one can buy. It does present a great value to many average car-buyers because of its reasonable price tag, stellar reliability record, and overall usability.
There are larger cars, there are smaller ones. There are more fuel-efficient ones and there are less fuel-efficient ones. There are ones with more power, and there are ones with less. The trend continues. It just hits the middle ground of so many people’s wants and needs. And this is why, for many, it can at least be in the running for the best option when considering a vehicle, even though it isn’t the most stellar in too many categories.
What could be better if the Camry hits all the marks in the middle? A lot of vehicles fall on either side of the Camry scale in different ways, especially when comparing similar vehicles. For example, there are probably very few people who legitimately cross-shop a Toyota Camry and a Ford Expedition. There are a lot of people who cross-shop a Toyota Camry and a Honda Accord, though. But no matter which way you cut it, the Accord isn’t the Camry even though it does some things better.
So let’s look at some of the cars that do things “better” in case those specific areas are high priorities to you.
Style:
Style is pretty subjective, but generally speaking, the Honda Acord and Mazda Mazda 3 have the style category down for the midsize sedan segment. The Camry is certainly not ugly, but it really isn’t inspiring either. Higher trim levels look a bit sportier, which helps. The Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, and newly-redesigned Hyundai Sonata come in near the bottom of the list for the segment.
Space:
Overall space is certainly not objective, even though some vehicles may seem smaller or larger than their advertised dimensions. The Camry falls behind the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Volkswagen Passat, and Chevy Malibu in cargo capacity. Other rivals like the Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, and Mazda Mazda6 offer close to the same or less cargo capacity. Both the Volkswagen Passat and Honda Accord offer more overall interior space.
Performance:
No average midsize sedan is really known for its outstanding performance, though most reviewers agree that the Mazda Mazda 6 holds the title for the sharpest and most engaging driving experience in the segment. The Camry and Buick Regal are the only two cars in the segment that offer a V6 engine. Most others are powered by turbocharged four-cylinder engines, with some being naturally-aspirated. The V6 Regal does offer slightly more horsepower than the V6 Camry, and many have observed that the Camry is surprisingly sporty when equipped with the V6. Still, the Mazda 6 takes the overall performance prize for its driving dynamics, nimble feel, and very good handling despite being down on power.
Fuel-efficiency:
The Camry is actually one of the class leaders in overall fuel efficiency when equipped with the four-cylinder engine. It returns a respectable 29 miles per gallon in the city. The Honda Accord edges it out here by one mile per gallon while the Chevy Malibu goes head to head with the Camry and gets the same city mileage. At 41 miles per gallon on the highway, the Camry has the rest of the class beat.
Reliability:
The Camry has built a solid reputation for itself being one of the most reliable vehicles on the market. Indeed, the Camry is consistently on the list of the most reliable vehicles one can buy. This one is kind of a no-brainer, and the Camry comes out on top of the class with few others standing in its way.
Value:
The value proposition the Camry presents is top notch as well. It has won several awards for being one of the vehicles that provides the best value to its buyers. Although it is rock solid when it comes to reliability, it does carry a slightly higher starting MSRP than several of its rivals. Many would argue that a thousand more dollars for a base Camry is well worth it for a vehicle that could last longer than any other in the class. But, this is only true if you plan to keep the car for as long as possible until it can’t be repaired anymore. Kia, Hyundai, and even Honda give you potentially comparable reliability without having to pay quite as much. And, the Kia Optima is nearly three thousand dollars less in its top trim level than the Camry is. I would argue that under many circumstances, the Kia Optima, Hyundai Sonata, and even the Honda Accord delivers more bang for your buck – depending on your wants and needs.
